Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Book Brief: Hot Air: A Villainous Love Story by T.J. Land

Title ~ Hot Air: A Villainous Love Story

Author ~ T.J. Land

Published ~ 18th February 2017

Genre ~ M/M Romance, Superhero Fantasy

Rating

Synopsis

Bluster is the most incompetent supervillain around. He’s a klutz. He’s forgetful. His schemes never work. He never remembers to plan his escape, which doesn’t matter given that most superheroes don’t even bother sending him to prison anymore. Hardly anyone takes him seriously. That’s why he decided to retire a while ago. It had nothing to do with the fact that his handsome nemesis, Judge Justice, was forced to hand in his superhero license after finally breaking one too many rules. And Bluster’s decision to give up his retirement on the same day Judge Justice gets his license back is purely coincidental.Judge Justice is the toughest superhero around. He’s edgy. He’s grim. He wears a lot of leather. As far as he’s concerned, supervillains are criminals, nothing more and nothing less. They deserve everything that’s coming to them. Sure, maybe he’s got a reputation for being harsh. So what? His methods work. When you’re dealing with a town full of caped crooks, no amount of force is excessive…except maybe when it comes to Bluster. That guy’s hopeless. It’s not that the Judge has a soft spot for him, but anyone can see that Bluster’s a bigger threat to himself than to the city. Which isn’t to say the Judge isn’t outraged when Bluster comes out of retirement the same day he gets his license back. He’s furious. Not even a tiny bit thrilled, because he’s not one of those imbeciles who actually likes his nemesis. He’s a professional. That’s why, when the Judge learns that Bluster’s in danger, he immediately appoints himself his guardian. After all, it’s a hero’s duty to protect the weak.Bluster, however, has other ideas…

Freya’s Book Brief

This story takes a journey into a world where spandex-clad superheroes and supervillains are the norms. It’s a big money, ego based industry where the villains are expected to escape from jail, and the caped crusaders are expected to win. They have rankings, and some are more successful than others.

The black leather clad Judge Justice, takes care of his streets, his cats and is protective over his nemesis Bluster. Bluster may be an inept and unsuccessful nemesis, who constantly gets his ass kicked, but he’s Judge Justice, and they’ve stood the test of time.

When one lost his license, the other went into retirement. When the one returned, so did the other. However, in this latest instalment of capes and capers, there’s a villain out there who steals superpowers, and he wants Bluster’s. As inept as Bluster may be, he is wise to the others in his profession, and that knowledge proves invaluable.

For me, Bluster is the hero of this story, he’s the epitome of indomitable spirit and has an adorable charm. His spelling is useless, he loses his fights, but he has a good heart and has a small BDSM fetish. In the same way that Justice protects what is his, Bluster tries to look after the welfare of Justice. They enjoy antagonising each other through their banter. It’s an alternative take on bickering sister. No one can attack the other except them, and their trading insults seems to be ingrained.

There’s a dose of over explanation which some may classify as rambling. Occasionally, I found this distracting from the main plot. Also, there’s an abundance of spandex clad cast, which are impossible to keep track of. But, if one focusses on Justice and Bluster, not get side-tracked by explanations on the others and some over self-analysing, then following the story is much better.

I wouldn’t call this story a comedy, but it is a light-hearted yarn and not meant to be taken too seriously. All people are straight talking, and like I said Bluster is adorable. There’s some interesting action, emotionally changing scenario’s and if you’re the type of person who liked movies such as Kick Ass and Sky High, then this could be for you.